Friends Never Say Goodbye ON HIATUS
by BelikovsRoza1697
Summary: Adrian and Dimitri have been best friends for a very long time; however, when Adrian brings his new girlfriend to meet Dimitri for the first time, all hell breaks loose. Will Adrian and Dimitri overcome their newfound rivalry to recover their friendship?
1. The Girl

**A/N: I have deleted both ****The Hangover**** and ****Sacrifices and Sorrows**** as neither I can put a good plot to. Instead, I will be starting afresh, beginning with this new story:**

**Plot: Adrian and Dimitri have been best friends for a very long time; however, when Adrian brings his new girlfriend to meet Dimitri for the first time, all hell breaks loose. Will Adrian and Dimitri overcome their newfound rivalry to recover their friendship? **

**This chapter will be in Adrian's Point of View. Please read and review! **

**BelikovsRoza1697 **

**xxx**

I saw her for the very first time in an unlikely setting.

I had been sitting alone in my favourite bar, sipping slowly from my drink. The bar – named _Benny's_ – wasn't much, but it sold my favourite malt whiskey for the cheapest price in town. I wasn't broke, far from it, in fact: my parent's had left me a large sum of money to spend on my career when they left for Portugal three years ago. All that money was still mostly intact, as interest continually topped it back up whenever I withdrew some, which wasn't often at all.

My parents were high class businessmen: my mom worked in the financial industry, travelling all over the world and speaking about a dozen languages; my dad was a writer and he wrote books on almost every genre, earning him a lot of money. Portugal seemed good for them both and they left me in Montana, with a kiss on the cheek and the promise of a full bank account. I was in my mid-to-late-teens by then, so I wasn't too bothered about not seeing my parents for an unlimited amount of time, but as time passed, I began to miss simply the knowledge of having two caring figures in my life. But, after a little consultation with Dimitri, I was convinced to begin to live without parents.

Here we come to Dimitri: Dimitri and I met when we were seven. He had just moved to America, after fleeing Russia with his mother and three sisters in fear of his father: an abusive man who took pleasure in the pain of his family. He was a very tall, brown-eyed male with the body of an athlete. Girls fainted around him, but he ignored them, not at all interested in what anyone had to say to him. He insisted on keeping quiet and not socialising with others, but I managed to crack through some of his tough exterior to find the good person that he really was.

Ever since then, we had been inseparable. After my parents left, Dimitri never left my side and refused to let me buy a flat alone. He bought an apartment away from our old school and where we used to live so that we could totally disconnect from that other way of life. We'd lived together for almost a year now and not a single argument, even though we had a few strong ones, had cancelled our friendship. I could honestly say without a doubt, that we were best friends.

That morning, he had woken me while he was dressing for work. He had to leave a lot earlier than me, as he worked at a gym, teaching people how to train correctly. He had needed his t-shirt, which I was conveniently laying on. I had drunk a little too much that night and collapsed onto the couch, falling asleep on impact, not taking time to move things out from under me.

'Adrian!' an annoyed Russian accent spoke and I wearily opened my eyes.

'What time is it…?' I croaked, my mouth dry despite the amount of alcohol I had consumed.

'Five AM, now would you _please_ move your fat ass of my clothes?' he said exasperatedly. I held up my hands,

'Alright, alright, keep your hair on…' I rolled my eyes and very slowly stood, so as not to displace my very fragile bones. As Dimitri grabbed the heavily creased shirt from the couch, I grinned,

'Hey, you know, I might have farted on that. I've heard drunks can't control their flatulence too well. Sorry, man…' I grinned and I heard him sigh, tirelessly.

'I hate you so much…' he said, even though he didn't mean it. I watched as he flung the shirt directly into the laundry basket and ran upstairs to get another one. I lay back down and fell into the welcoming darkness of sleep.

I'd woken and dressed quickly after spotting that it was around ten-ish. Dimitri had long gone and there was a note on the table saying that we needed more milk. I ignored it, as usual and instead focused on breakfast: a half-eaten pizza and some Fanta. Only the best food in this house – cue heavy sarcasm.

After eating, I had finished off some forms that needed signing and delivering. I worked for a bank, like my mom, and thanks to her, I'd secured a work-from-home position, meaning I rarely needed to go into the building and also, that I worked in a way I liked.

I picked up these letters and then left for the bar, dropping the envelopes into the postbox on the way.

And here we come, back to the beginning. I had seated myself and ordered a whiskey. I was gently sipping it, watching the television behind the bar, when a beautiful brown-haired woman, walked in and sat at an isolated table. I grinned, taking her appearance in: long dark hair that went down to her back, slightly tanned skin and a perfect figure. I quickly downed my drink and ignored the bartender offering me another, instead walking briskly to her table and sliding in on the other spare chair.

'Why, hello there, sweetie' I winked and she rolled her eyes, turning and looking out of the window instead. I frowned; usually my witty charm and looks brought women to knees, much like they acted around Dimitri. I looked up and tried to catch her gaze, but she refused to look at me. I sighed and opened my mouth, about to say something, when she interrupted,

'Aren't you going to move?' she said, annoyed. I raised an eyebrow,

'No… why?'

'I want to eat'

'What's stopping you?'

'Your face. It's putting me off eating' she smirked and my mouth dropped open. I wasn't expecting that. At least it got a smile out of her though. The simple gesture made her features light up and I suddenly wanted to stay with her.

'I'm sorry to hear that… what's your name?' I tried to make a little conversation, but she stayed silent.

'My name's Adrian: you'll need to remember that' I grinned and she frowned,

'Why's that?'

'Because you'll be screaming it later' I winked and she laughed a beautiful tinkling sound.

'Nice one, that deserves you some info, I guess,' she paused and smiled up at me. _Score_, I thought, 'My name is Rose'

'Rose, eh? Well, I can see why you're called that… you're as beautiful as one…' I smiled, trying to pull off a cheesy cute smile, not one of my specialities, but always a winner with the ladies…

'Yeah whatever' she rolled her eyes.

… apparently not.

'So, uh, where do you live?' I smiled normally and she noticed the change. She visibly relaxed and grinned,

'Why, you a full-time stalker?'

'Nope, only part-time,' I grinned and she laughed again.

'Okay, I live on 56, Ruby Lane, know it?' I nodded eagerly,

'Yeah. I only live a few streets away: the block of flats on Carter's? Number 4' she smiled again,

'Yeah, I know it… you live alone…?' she murmured, clearly interested in me now.

'Nope… flatmate,' cue a frown, 'b-b-but he's always out, like, I don't even know why I call him a flatmate, he's never in. He has a busy job…' the frown disappeared and she grinned, probably laughing at my idiocy. I could feel the blush creeping onto my cheeks.

'Well that's nice. But let's not talk about him; what do you do for a living?' she grinned and I was pleased that I was no longer the leader in our conversation.

'I'm an accountant, but I work at home mostly. It's easier for me' I smiled and she cocked her head,

'Oh? How's it easier?'

'Closer to the mini-fridge' I replied, with a wink.

'Mmm possibly the best invention, besides toasters… ooh and chocolate fountains' Rose grinned and I laughed. And so began our conversation which lasted hours. By the time her bill arrived, we'd both missed around 8 calls from our friends, who clearly needed us for something.

We didn't care; we just wanted to be in each other's company. However, finally, the time came for her to go. She stood and gathered up her belongings,

'Well, Mr Ivashkov, it seems the time has come for me to depart' she said, granting me another smile. I grabbed a pen quickly and scribbled my number on a napkin.

'Here, call me, anytime' I grinned, handing the paper to her. She took it and laughed softly,

'Alright then. Till the next time…' she winked and walked out.

~~~~FNSG~~~~

'You look happy…' Dimitri remarked as he walked in, depositing his bag near the front door. I nodded, stretching my legs out on the sofa.

'I am. Why do you say it like it's a bad thing?' I protested, taking a sip of the coffee I'd just made. I'd even made Dimitri one, setting it on the table near his chair. He sat and stared at the cup for a few moments.

'Aren't you going to drink it? You do know what it is, right? It's co-ffee,' I enunciated.

'Yes, Adrian, I used to drink tons of the stuff back in Russia' he rolled his eyes and picked it up, sniffing it suspiciously,

'Excuse me, what the hell are you doing?'

'Have you poisoned it?'

'No!'

'Have you spiked it?'

'No, Dimitri'

'Are you sure?'

'_Yes_, Dimitri'

'Hmm…' he tentatively took a sip and grinned, clearly satisfied. He sat back, relaxing in the seat, 'So what's with the generosity, huh?'

'I don't know what you mean. I'm always like this.' I grabbed the remote and turned on the television, scanning through the program list for something good to watch.

'That's rubbish. Did you get a pay rise?' I ignored him and looked through the DVDs instead.

'How's about watching The Matrix?' I asked and he shrugged,

'Did you get promoted?'

'Inception?'

'Did someone buy you dinner?'

'Star Wars?' I was beginning to get tireless now.

'Did you get a letter from your parents?'

'Toy Story?' I said exasperatedly, my voice breaking slightly. He chuckled,

'Sure, whatever you- you met a girl! You did, didn't you?' I sighed as he grinned triumphantly, 'I knew it!' I nodded,

'Yeah, in Benny's. I love her, for sure. No doubting this time' I grinned and relaxed back into the couch. He raised an eyebrow,

'Adrian, you've said that to a lot of people. Girls that have been around here, you just throw around that phrase when you don't even mean it'

'I _always_ mean it; it's the other people that abuse my love for them'

'Adrian, you said you loved _me _once'

'When?'

'Last week, I picked you up from Benny's. The bartender called me, you had too many whiskeys. I brought you back and let you sleep on the couch and you said,' now he put on a girly impression of my voice, '_Dimitri, you're my saving grace, I hope you know this: I. Love. You. Never doubt it babe'_ I snorted,

'I didn't say that'

'Yes, you did. You also tried to kiss me, but let's not go into that' he winked and walked upstairs to change. I rolled my eyes and was about to change the channel on the television, when I heard a scream from upstairs. I ran up there and laughed when I saw Dimitri holding up his pristine, washed and ironed clothes. I had some spare time on my hands, so I had put all of our clothes into the wash and ironed them till they looked brand new.

'What have you done with Adrian? _Tell me!_' he screeched in a high pitched voice and I laughed.

'Absolutely nothing, babe' I winked and he shuddered, walking into his room and slamming the door.

'When I meet this girl, I'm going to give her a medal, a shiny medal. No, a gold, shiny medal… with diamonds…' I heard him mutter. Grinning, I settled back onto the couch and sighed,

'This was a _fun_ day…' I laughed.


	2. Desire

**A/N: Thank you ever so much for your reviews :) Just to recap, this is going to be a full story, not a one shot :)**

'_When I meet this girl, I'm going to give her a medal, a shiny medal. No, a gold, shiny medal… with diamonds…' I heard him mutter. Grinning, I settled back onto the couch and sighed,_

'_This was a fun day…' I laughed._

The next day, I awoke at the sound of my telephone ringing loudly. I groaned and rolled over, falling of off the bed. I lifted my hand and ran it across my dressing table, trying to grab the ringing phone, but someone beat me to it.

'Hello?' I looked up at Dimitri's tall frame; he was glancing down at me in disgust. I grinned and lay on the floor trying to recapture some precious sleep.

'Adrian? Me? No, not unless I materialised into a moron overnight…' I heard him laugh, 'I'm his flatmate…' there was a pause, 'He's right here… lying on the floor… did you want to speak to him? Mhmm… yeah sure… I'll just pass you over'

I opened my eyes and squinted up at him. He crouched down and covered the receiver with his hand,

'Adrian, for Christ's sake, will you put some pants on?' he rolled his eyes and I muttered some sort of intelligible comeback, standing and yanking on my jeans, whilst he stood with his back to me. I walked over to him and held out my hand for the phone. He raised an eyebrow at my lack of a shirt, but handed me the phone anyway, leaving the room.

'Heya?' I said , uncertainly, waiting for a familiar voice to fill the silence.

'Hey… it's Rose…' a sweet, musical voice spoke up and I grinned,

'Rose! I thought you wouldn't call…' I exclaimed and she laughed softly, a beautiful, sweet sound which filled my heart with an unrecognisable fluttering feeling. Was this what love felt like?

'I wanted to… you seem like a really nice guy…'

'Thank you… was there a reason you called?'

'I was wondering if you'd like to meet me for dinner tonight… I mean, I wouldn't usually ask… but I'm free today and it doesn't happen often and I-' she stopped and laughed, 'Sorry, I babble… a lot'

'Aw no problem, me too' I assured her, 'I'm good for tonight. How's half seven at Benny's? I like it a lot there…' I felt the familiar warmth on my cheeks, warning me of a blush.

'Benny's sounds awesome… I'll see you tonight…' she hung up after blowing me a kiss through the phone; I felt the return of the blush. _She probably does that to everyone she talks to_, my subconscious warned me. I shrugged, pressing the _end call_ button and resting the receiver on the side.

'Dinner date, already, huh?' Dimitri's accent rang through my ears and I turned around,

'As if it's any of your business'

'Maybe it is… in fact, if my ears do not deceive me, I swear I heard you say _Benny's_… maybe I should drop in on you…' he raised an eyebrow and I widened my eyes,

'Aw don't… please? You'll be all boring and I'll have to endure your story about how you supposedly taught Husain Bolt how to run 'properly'' Dimitri folded his arms and walked out. Sufficiently happy, I dressed fully and got to work, completing all my filing.

****FNSG****

Around six-ish, I'd laid out on the couch and fallen asleep, gripping a once-cold, now disgustingly-warm can of lager. I'd, of course, known that our date was in less than two hours, but as I slept generally in short bursts of time, I wasn't too worried about waking up late. I nursed the can but the dark, murky depths of sleep pulled me in and within minutes I was gone.

And that was pretty much my downfall from then on. Waking up at eight o'clock, I lazily looked around, yawning. My eyes fell on Dimitri sitting in the corner, staring at me with amusement,

'You're late' he said simply.

'Damnit!' I cursed, springing to my feet and running around, grabbing spare clothes. I changed quickly into jeans and a grey t-shirt that looked vaguely like a designer brand. Pulling on shoes, I grabbed my wallet and waved at Dimitri, who was still sat in that seat. I briefly contemplated whether or not his ass was glued to the material of the chair, but thinking of how OCD Dimitri was on order, probably not.

I spotted Rose sitting at a table, looking radiant in what seemed to be a sleeveless red dress. Her hair was caught in a bun positioned at the top of his head and her skin was as flawless as when we first met. I smiled and paused, taking her in, before seeing her scowl.

Oh yeah, I was meant to be apologetic about being late.

I ran in and squeezed past the usual patrons, many of whom were stoned out of their mind. I frowned, maybe not the best date spot for a beautiful woman like Rose. I eased into the seat opposite my date and she exhaled loudly. There were several heavy, tension filled moments of silence before she put a hand on the table,

'If I had a watch on, I'd be tapping it right about now-ish…' she said, face stoic. I nodded, sheepish,

'Sorry, Rose… I had some urgent business to attend to…'

'Adrian.'

'My boss sent me this pile of paperwork that I swear was taller than my apartment…'

'Adrian.'

'You know how people exaggerate about things, but it was definitely bigger than my bedroom…'

'_Adrian_.'

'Well okay, maybe the height of a computer…'

'Adrian!' I looked up and fell silent.

'Sorry…' I murmured. She glared and called a waiter over,

'Call me a taxi please…' she requested and I called out,

'No!' I grabbed the waiter's sleeve, 'Don't leave; I'm really sorry for being late, can you forgive me? I really want a chance, Rose…' I smiled my best smile and she sighed, irritated.

'Cancel that taxi order. I'll continue with my meal here. Ravioli and a glass of white wine please…' she murmured and he jotted the items down quickly, turning to me.

'Uh, the same please, but a Jack Daniels instead, please' he nodded and departed. I smiled at Rose and after a heavy glare, she smiled back. She laughed,

'You really are the limit… I don't get stood up for dates that _I_ arrange, Adrian…' I grinned,

'Sorry, my sleep patterns are really erratic. Forgive me, dearest one' I laughed and kissed her hand. She whacked me gently against the cheek, but did it caringly.

And so the dinner continued: we ate, we drank, we socialised and we had a lot of fun. I told her about my parents and she told me that her father had run away when she was born because he was constantly on the run from the police. He was involved with many rich companies, earning money from them in partner ownership, but he also got money from drugs and gambling: the cheating kind of gambling. He was wanted in several states yet still avoided capture. Her mother was the bodyguard of a Norwegian princess and was never around, not even when Rose was a young child.

Rose didn't elaborate on her own profession and every time I approached that topic, she quickly changed the subject. I let her and instead spoke about Dimitri. She said she had a best friend too, the name of Lissa, whom she'd known since kindergarten.

It finally came to the end of our meal and I noticed we'd been talking for hours. I smiled, standing and passing Rose her coat.

'It's been great tonight… we should do it again' I said, quickly adding, 'I mean, I'll actually make an effort to be there on time…'

'That would be nice…' she murmured and looked up into my eyes. _This is it_, the little voice in my head spoke up, _this is it!_ I leaned down and ever so gently brushed my lips to hers. She responded, pushing up against me and kissing back deeply. I smiled and pulled away,

'To another night?' she asked.

'To another night…' I replied and she walked out, a smile colouring her beautiful features. I returned to my seat and finished my drink slowly. I watched her wait for her friend, Lissa and I observed her getting in the car. I stared dreamily after it as it pulled away into the night.

It was only a familiar, yet annoying voice that brought me back to the present.

'Are you going to sit there looking like a moron all night?' Dimitri asked. He was sitting in the seat where Rose had just been, sipping slowly from a glass of water. I turned to him,

'Of course. What are you doing here?'

'You've been gone four hours, I thought she'd cornered you and given you roofies' I ignored him and stood up, leaving my empty glass and walking out into the cool night air. Dimitri followed and stood beside me, folding his arms.

'Did she turn up?'

'Yes'

'She actually waited around for you?'

'Yes'

'Interesting… what was her name again?'

'I didn't tell you last night. I think I'll keep leaving you in the dark' I replied and he rolled his eyes.

'Fine whatever. Come on, let's get back…' he gestured down the darkened path back to our apartment and I nodded, sighing.

'I bet it's a whole lot brighter where she is…' I muttered to myself,

'Aww bless, have you got withdrawal symptoms from your girlfriend?' Dimitri spoke up,

'Aw shut up…' I replied and Dimitri laughed, unlocking the front door and going inside.

****FNSG****

DPOV

I awoke in the morning and got ready for work, taking a brisk walk to the gym in the bright morning sun. I arrived on time as usual and signed in, getting straight to it.

'There's some guy who's been waiting on you for advice on his roundhouses… he's been here for three hours and hasn't stopped complaining, talk to him would you?' Lucy the receptionist called from behind me. I laughed and nodded,

'Sure, which room?'

'Not even a room! He's just pacing by the boxing ring…' she rolled her eyes and picked up the phone as it began to ring. I smiled and walked there, talking to the man who really was as impatient as Lucy had described. I listened to his complaining for what felt like another hour and then eventually got round to demonstrating a good roundhouse kick. He also asked me for a sparring session to test out his new skill, so I walked to the mats and pinned him in a four second fight.

After letting him win a few times, I shook his hand and assured him with a fake smile that he was welcome anytime. I was about to pass him off onto another instructor when something caught my eye. I looked up at the door as a figure walked in. A brown-haired young woman wandered innocently through the rows of flexing regulars and weightlifting newbies. I watched her with interest, muttering a few words of dismissal to Roundhouse Man and walking over to her,

'Hello Miss…' I smiled, 'You need any help there?' she looked up at me,

'Uh no, I'm fine thank you…' she walked past me and I caught her arm,

'But I've never seen you here before, surely you don't know where you're going… don't you need _any_ help?' I hoped I didn't sound too needy. She laughed and pulled her hand out of my grip,

'I'm _fine_, I'm good at navigation' she smiled widely, showing off her pearly white teeth. I couldn't help but return the smile and let my still raised hand drop feebly. She walked on and I found my eyes wander down to her perfect figure, especially her well defined hips. A rush of heat ran through my body and I gasped quietly at the sensation. My legs gained a life of their own as I ran after her and caught her arm again. She sighed and turned around,

'Yes?' she said almost tirelessly.

'Sorry… I was just wondering, did you want to spar with me?' I smiled encouragingly and she paused before nodding,

'Sure, will you leave me alone then?' she said playfully and I nodded eagerly,

'Of course.' I led her up to the mat and crouched into a battle stance. She didn't bother, going straight into an attack. I held out my arms to catch her before she launched on me, but instead she leant down and her leg shot out, kicking my legs out from under me. I stumbled, losing my balance, but I recovered, trying to grab her, but she was so small and agile that she performed attack after attack on my lower body and I was unable to defend myself. It eventually took a particularly hard kick to my stomach to make me fall and admit defeat. She placed her hand on my heaving chest,

'Dead…' she smiled and I looked up into her eyes. She was barely sweating and i was astounded,

'Where did you learn that?' I whispered hoarsely,

'Self taught…' she smiled triumphantly. I laughed softly and felt inclined to be a whole lot closer to her, but without clothes on. I pushed the thought out of my mind and eased myself out from under her hand.

'Nice one… come back again, will you? I'm here every morning till two o'clock…' I informed her and held out a hand for her to shake. She took it gently and smiled, raking a hand through her thick beautiful locks and moving on through the crowd who had gathered to watch the best fighter in the gym get taken down by a girl. A pretty girl. A tiny, pretty girl.

I shook out my hair, tying it back into its ponytail and getting back to work.

Later, I went home to find Adrian asleep sprawled on the couch. I poked him and threw one of his discarded shoes at him. He groaned,

'Go away, Belikov…' he muttered and I laughed,

'Get up, get up, Ivashkov!' he groggily opened his eyes and I pushed him into a seat at the dining table for dinner. We ate in peaceful silence until I spoke up,

'I met a girl today…'

'Thrilling'

'No, really it was… she was beautiful. She's an awesome fighter too… she took me down in like a minute… she's a tiny little thing too…'

'Everything's tiny to you'

'No I mean, like five foot'

'Jesus…'

'Exactly. I mean, she just walked in and I was like, oh hello, so I went over and pestered her- '

'Such an expert at charming'

'Shut up,' I rolled my eyes, 'I went over and _talked _to her till she let me spar with her and when I did… well… like I said, she took me down…'

'You should get her name'

'I know, I will'

'Good… then you can give it to _me_ and _I_ can go take her for dinner' he winked and I rolled my eyes again,

'You already _have_ a girlfriend, Adrian'

'I could have more…'

'That's not fair' I replied and finished my food, washing the plate and putting it back in the cupboard.

'I'm turning in early tonight, Adrian, see you tomorrow…' I smiled and went upstairs, collapsing on my bed out of exhaustion from my early start and my surprisingly achy defeat. Sleep's murky depths enveloped me and I fell into a deep unconsciousness.

**Oooh what's gonna happen next, eh? Please review and give me your ideas :)**

**Thanks xxx**

**BelikovsRoza1697**


	3. She Returns

**A/N: Again, thank you for the reviews, I just came back from my holiday to Italy :)**

'_I'm turning in early tonight, Adrian, see you tomorrow…' I smiled and went upstairs, collapsing on my bed out of exhaustion from my early start and my surprisingly achy defeat. Sleep's murky depths enveloped me and I fell into a deep unconsciousness._

DPOV

I woke early the next morning, rushing around to collect my bags so that I could get to work on time. I _had_ to see that girl, no matter what it took. I dressed quickly and rushed out the door, not even giving Adrian a second glance as he lay sprawled on the couch. I jogged down the sidewalk and spotted the sign for the gym.

I stopped and laughed at myself. _So much for no relationships, Dimitri,_ I thought, but then it occurred to me to ponder why I actually ever thought that. What was so bad in having someone admire and adore you? I slowly made my way to the far side of the pavement and leaned against the wall, dropping my bag. I sighed; _maybe this wasn't such a great thing to think of_…

I tilted my face to the sun and closed my eyes, imagining the orange light lighting up the streets as people woke up. I half-smiled, thinking of my sisters when they were children. They were always so obstinate about getting up in the morning. I supposed all teenagers hated mornings, especially when they were being shaken awake by their older brother.

I wonder if _she_ has any siblings…

_No, Dimitri! You can't think of her!_ I scolded myself and shook my head to clear my mind of her.

_She stood and the bedsheets ruffled around her before falling to the floor. _

It was no good; I couldn't keep my mind off of her.

_She shook out her hair and it fell in waves by her shoulders._

My heart rate increased and I opened my eyes, standing straight and using the wall as a support. I inhaled deeply and continued my walk to work.

_The morning light illuminated her partially tanned skin._

I pushed the words out of my mind and grumbled, walking in and nodding at Lucy. She smiled,

'Morning, Dimitri, sorry to say but we're short staffed today… mind helping out at the desk?' she said cheerily. I looked up at her, glaring at her, before realising that it wasn't her fault that I kept having troubling thoughts. I shook my head and smiled,

'Sorry, I'm not feeling great this morning. Sure, I don't mind, you go get a coffee or whatever; I'll do it for you…' I needed to be alone; I'd only offend everyone in my way.

'Oh, no it's okay, I can stay…' she grinned and flipped her hair back in an attempt at flirting. Damnit, I'd forgotten her stupid crush on me. I eased myself into a seat and she leaned across the desk, her blonde hair cascading down and over. I leaned back,

'Uh, Lucy, I have to do this uninterrupted… you go get a drink, I'll be okay without you…' I rolled the seat backwards as her smile faltered.

'We don't have to do work today, Dimitri… everyone's out… I have you to myself…' she winked and placed her hand over mine. I flinched, pulling it away and pushing her back by her shoulders.

'No, Lucy, I don't feel that way towards you, maybe you should just go next door and help with the filing there…' I said slowly, enunciating every syllable as if talking to an obstinate child. She fluffed her hair and moved out of my grip,

'Fine, whatever. Your loss' she said, walking off, vexed. I exhaled loudly, _nice one,_ I thought. Having sex with Lucy was _so_ noton my list of things to do before I die. I shuddered at the thought, so much for her being the innocent one.

I logged on the computer and began to type in figures blindly. My mind strayed back to my previous thoughts and I sighed

_She turned and smiled, her brown eyes looking down fondly._

I stood and swigged from my water bottle. Today was pretty quiet; it occurred to me that this wasn't that weird. There was a large heavy metal concert in the next town and most of our members were fans of that genre. I made a face at the thought of the noise that was going to be caused. Great, no sleep for _me_ tonight. Adrian would be okay, he could sleep through a hurricane, I was sure.

_As she moved, her slim, toned body captured my interest and I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. _

Oh lord, this waking dream was not doing me any favours. I rolled my eyes and rushed to get a cup of espresso. I downed it in one, the hot liquid burning my mouth, but I didn't feel it amidst the waves of bliss coming from my thoughts.

_She turned and laughed, a musical sound that made me smile,_

'_What are you looking at, eh?' she stuck out her tongue and laughed again._

I ran a hand through my hair and smiled at my wandering subconscious. _This must be what happens when you don't date and see beauty for the first time_, I thought. When I got home, I'd talk to Adrian about it. He was a surprisingly good adviser when it came to matters of the heart. I closed my eyes and savoured the sweet reverie.

_She approached me and lay back down next to me. I smiled and reached out, touching her hair. _

If I could get through this day without going insane, of course.

'_Morning…' she smiled._

I smiled just like in my dream. Like I would ever end up sleeping with her; I'd only met her yesterday. I seriously needed to get a grip on myself.

'_Morning!' she said again, louder. I frowned…_

'Morning!' I opened my eyes and looked down, to find none other, but my personal obsession.

'Uh... hi…' I grinned after recovering from my dream, 'I wasn't expecting you to be here…' she smiled,

'No, I wasn't really thinking about coming back… but I, uh… wondered if you wanted to spar again? I'm not really that good all the time…' she blushed and I couldn't help but notice how it lit up her features.

'Sure!' I said a little too keenly and she laughed, 'Just give me one second, I just have to do something quickly' she nodded and I ran into the back office where Lucy sat, sorting through some papers.

'There's a woman who wants me to spar with her, can you take over, please?' I asked politely and Lucy looked up at me, still pissed off.

'Why should I? It's your job' she turned back and I frowned, folding my arms,

'Did you know that there's a zero-tolerance on sexual harassment here?' I raised an eyebrow and she looked up at me, shocked,

'You wouldn't…'

'I would' I wasn't sure I'd actually be able to, to be honest.

'How long will you be gone?' Phew…

'At least an hour…' I said awkwardly. She nodded,

'Okay, sure, see you later then… sorry…' she hung her head and I nodded, triumphantly leaving and guiding her to the empty room where tournaments were held. _All_ our members seemed to have been otherwise engaged today.

'So, where do you want to-' I started, before being cut off. Hands wrapped around my torso and pushed me against the wall. I was well equipped to deal with blows, but even that took me a bit to recover from. I turned and was immediately put on guard. She stood there, a grin playing on her features,

'Ah, you're funny. Cool it, Comrade; I'm not going to hurt you…' I raised an eyebrow,

'Comrade, eh?'

'Yup, well, what with you being Russian and all' she waved her hand dismissively.

'Oh, so you think I'm into communism and subsist on vodka too?' she laughed,

'Yeah sure, why not?' I rolled my eyes and approached her,

'Nope, I like coffee and I don't have anything against our president' I smiled and she inched closer, whispering,

'You're tall like most other Russians, though' she winked and pulled back. I instantly missed the feel of her breath on my ear. I smiled after a moment,

'I'm not like most…'

'I'm beginning to see that…' we were silent for a moment and I kept my eyes trained on hers.

'Y'know what? Let's forget sparring, you free for a few hours?' she said,

'I don't know… I'm needed back in an hour…' I wrung my hands together.

'It's okay… take a chance…' she smiled encouragingly and placed her hands over mine to cool my fidgeting. After a moment, I sighed and nodded,

'Sure'

'Great' she said simply, taking my hand and leading me out of the back door. I followed, grinning as the fresh air ran through my hair. She walked across the road and into the park opposite, finally letting go of my hand and seating herself in the lush green grass. I looked down at her and raised an eyebrow,

'What?' she grinned,

'Is that what we're gonna do? Sit in the grass? For a 'few hours'?' she laughed and nodded,

'Sure, why not? Would you sit down already? You're making me feel jumpy' she stuck out her tongue and I sat beside her. She lay down, her long brown hair fanning out beneath her. I looked down,

'_Now_ what are you doing?' she didn't reply, instead wrapping her fingers around my arm and pulling me down too. I laughed as my forehead touched hers, and she smiled. She turned and looked deep into my eyes.

It was like she was reading my soul.

'You have beautiful eyes…' I whispered and she smiled,

'Thank you…' she muttered and she leant in, before her eyes moved and she gasped, standing,

'Oh my God… I forgot… I'm so sorry… Jesus Christ, I'm so dumb!' she scolded herself and turned to me, 'I'm sorry, I have to go… see you around…' she turned and fled faster than I'd ever seen anyone run. I sat up and frowned, pondering why she had to go at such a critical moment in our developing relationship… if you could call it that. _Damnit, Dimitri_, I thought, _you're not in a relationship!_ I shook my head and stood, rounding the corner out of the park and walking into Adrian.

'Oh hey, man!' he said cheerily, 'I was just going for a walk in the park… fresh air and all' he winked and I smiled,

'Heya'

'What are you doing here? Don't you have a job to do?' he stuck out his tongue and I laughed,

'Mmm it would seem so, but I kinda… left without permission…'

'_You_ did that?' he said shocked and I nodded, laughing again.

'I'm not _that_ much of a responsible adult, Adrian' I rolled my eyes and he shook his head, awed,

'It's just weird hearing you say that… ah well, anyway, want to grab a drink before you head back? I'm meeting Rose again tonight…' his eyes lit up and I was about to agree when it occurred to me…

'That's her name? _Rose_?' I grinned, 'I knew I'd find out sooner or later!' Adrian's eyes widened,

'Damnit…'

'Haha! Don't worry, I won't do anything, promise' I winked and he sighed,

'Don't know if I can trust you now you know…' he ran a hand over his tousled hair nervously,

'Promise!' I laughed at his paranoia, 'Now, how's about that drink?' I smiled encouragingly and he nodded,

'Sure…'

'And you can tell me all about Rose…' I muttered winking, but before he could protest I held up my hands, 'Joking, joking…'

'I hate it when you're annoying…' he mumbled and I shook my head,

'It doesn't happen often, savour it'

'Whatever…' and we walked to the bar in lighter spirits.

**Sorry about the shortness but I have a bit of jet lag and I need my sleep! Lol**

**Reviews would be much appreciated, thank you**

**BelikovsRoza1697**


	4. Rose

**A/N: I can't apologise enough about the incredibly late update, but unfortunately, I had a lot of schoolwork and also an operation to worry about :) the lack of reviews was also a bit disappointing, I'm up for constructive criticism, so please just tell me what you think :) I appreciate it!**

**xxx**

'_I hate it when you're annoying…' he mumbled and I shook my head,_

'_It doesn't happen often, savour it'_

'_Whatever…' and we walked to the bar in lighter spirits._

RPOV

There was a sound emanating from the back alley and I was instantly put on high alert. This job was meant to be _easy_. _A quick take out, that's all_, my boss Stan had said. Some fat, far-too-rich businessman who'd been a bit too frisky with a client's daughter. Well, it seemed like you didn't mess with this kind of client.

'Hey!' the target shouted. I froze, thinking my secrecy had been compromised, but a figure appeared from the shadows of a tall building, and I knew that I was safe.

'Christ, Ivan, you nearly gave me a heart attack…' the fat guy laughed, his rotund body shaking with him as he did so.

'That wouldn't be unlikely… what with your size…' the other voice, presumably 'Ivan' sneered. He had the sexy lilt of a Russian accent and I felt a smile grown on my face. There was an awkward silence for a few short moments, before it was broken by my target. He emitted a fake laugh and said,

'I have the money.' And that was all it took for me to totally lose my focus and instead stare at the man, who was holding a large brown briefcase, which I hadn't before noticed. He unclipped the catches and the top swung open, revealing thousands of neatly stacked bills. I gasped quietly, leaning forward a bit.

I was perched on the roof of the tallest building in the alley, a block of flats which smelt of cigarettes and sweat, much like the rest of the alley. I made a mental note not to visit this part of town again. I was lying down, invisible in the darkness, my gun fixed on the target's receding hair line.

_I was a pro at this_, I reminded myself, _pros_ _don't lose focus_. I shook out my long dark hair, releasing it from the prison of the hair tie I used and aimed the gun again. I had to time it just right. This Ivan couldn't see me take him out, or I knew I'd be headed into a whole load of shit. I had to wait for the money to be exchanged and _then _shoot him to high heaven. I had to be done by the next six minutes, or I'd have to abort the mission and get even _more_ shit from Stan. The fat guy bent down with a heaving groan and pushed the suitcase across the ground. I took in the detail of Ivan: broad shoulders, high cheekbones and pretty damn good looking. It would be a shame to waste that but if he didn't clear off soon, I'd have to take him out too.

'Is it all there?' Ivan asked, breaking my thought patterns.

'Sure is. Fifty thousand dollars of my own wealth, just as you asked. Now will you please, _please_ burn the pictures?' Fatty begged and I finally figured out what was happening. Ivan was blackmailing him and Fatty was paying him off to keep quiet about some photos.

Ivan took the case and produced a stack of black and white prints, their contents too small for me to make out. He laid them on the ground and set light to them.

'There' he concluded. I looked at my watch and grinned as Ivan left, marking the end of the six minutes. I placed the silencer on and aimed – _zip_.

He fell to the floor without making a sound and I climbed down the ladder to go check the body. I felt for a pulse on his bulbous neck, but found none. Grinning, I wiped my hands of blood and walked out of the alley. I packed away my gun into the carry-bag I'd brought along.

Sighing, I thought about last week with the gorgeous trainer up at the gym. After remembering that I had indeed got a sort-of boyfriend, I had run away from him. Since then, I'd looked up information on him, finding out that his name was Dimitri Belikov and that he was a native of Siberia. I had been going on to discover more on his family and friends, before my boss shut the laptop. It seems he didn't like personal quests for information.

I thought of Adrian and suddenly a wave of guilt washed over me. What I was doing to him wasn't fair and it should've stopped by now. He was an amazing person, just not the right person for me. I needed someone who I could trust not to tell anyone that I was secretly an assassin. Not even Lissa knew entirely what I did; I had to mask my frequent disappearances as a party-girl attitude. Even tonight, I'd claimed I was going to the new club recently opened in town. I hired men to come to my house and pretend to be interested in dating me, which wasn't hard as most of them wanted to in the first place. I sighed, this whole thing was messed up.

Turning into a less pungent alleyway, I knocked on a large metal door, with a small opening at the top. The bolt was drawn back across it and the familiar eyes of Stan were revealed through the small rectangular box.

'Done it?' he muttered after a pause. I nodded, lifting my bag up so he could see.

'Did he squirm?' he grinned and let me in. I didn't bother replying; I wasn't as keen as Stan in fulfilling client's wishes to kill their enemies.

'How much blood? A lot… or not so much? You never know with obese people, do ya?' he laughed and turned, looking at me expectantly.

'The usual amount' I said simply.

'Any idea what he was doing in that alley?' I turned away, making a face at his constant questions.

'Nope' I made my way slowly up the stairs, barely glancing at the clock to see that it was two in the morning and I was regrettably still up and about.

'What's up with you today, Rose? If it's getting too much for you, I can easily-'

'I'm _fine_' I stressed, throwing the bag onto the sofa and leaning over the top banister, 'I'm just tired, that's all'

'Tiredness can cause lack of focus, Rose…' he warned and I nodded,

'Yada yada yada, I _get _it! I'm honestly fine. It's just tonight, that's all.' I turned away and unpacked the gun, cleaning it and replacing it in the cabinet where it belonged.

'Coffee?' he called, his voice more distant now that he had moved to the kitchen.

'Black, no sugar' I replied.

'So just a cup of hot water for you, huh?' he laughed heartily at his own joke. I decided against telling him to go fuck himself, instead consoling myself with the thought that soon I'd be tucked up in my warm bed, back at Lissa's place in the centre of town.

'Hardly, there's coffee in it' I muttered, looking into the mirror and frowning at the mess that was my hair. I grabbed the spare pair of straighteners that I'd equipped Stan's house with and used them. After seating myself on the sofa, downstairs, Stan returned and handed me my coffee,

'I got another job for you.'

'Tonight?'

'Yeah'

'No, I can't. I'm too tired, I might 'lose focus'' I cast him a sidelong look

'It'll be an easy take out'

'You said that last time'

'Well was it easy?'

''Spose'

'Exactly' I sighed,

'What is it then?' he grinned at my acceptance and pulled out a file.

'Take a look. Conman, enemy wants him done quickly, cleanly and most of all _quietly_. He don't want him found either, so dump the body in the lake or something'

'You expect me to carry a dead body through town at three in the morning, when I'm _exhausted_, plus then find any old lake to throw him into? You _have _to be joking.'

'I'm not, so get your ass off of that couch and go kill that guy.' I rolled my eyes and took out my gun, heading back out. Tonight was going to be long, that was for sure. Looking in the file, I saw that Stan had left a note saying that he'd be night-fishing, conveniently, by the city river. I rolled my eyes, I should've known how much Stan liked to wind me up; of course I wouldn't have to carry his body through town.

I went to the river as requested and spotted a single figure doing just that, night-fishing. I never understood the point of fishing during the night, surely all the fish would be asleep… or something.

I looked through my binoculars at the man, trying to get a good look at him. The face was familiar, but no… it couldn't be…

I looked in the file and my suspicions were sadly correct. In black and white, the name _Ivan _Zeklos.

Along with it was a photograph of him with another figure, whose face was turned away. I suddenly felt immense pity for the man with him.

I was killing his friend.

I aimed for his head, which was easy to shoot at, seeing as he was totally at ease and even facing me. I saw the briefcase full of cash from earlier beside him.

Feeling the immense guilt for having to do this, I aimed downwards and shot his leg, picking up my gun and running as fast as possible. I turned back briefly to see him lying on the bank, screaming as blood ran freely from his leg. I fled, back to base, calming myself before entering again.

'Ooh that was quick' Stan pointed out and I nodded, perhaps a little too quickly

'He was a clean shot, didn't need to push him in, he fell in'

'Oh, good… anyway, you can go back home now, Rose. You've done a very good job today; a cheque will be in the post tomorrow morning.' He smiled, none the wiser and I nodded hastily, taking my things and leaving.

The next morning I awoke with Lissa sat beside me.

'Hello' I smiled, but she didn't return it.

'You were in a 3:30 this morning.' She stated, her face devoid of all emotion.

'Yeah sorry… long night' I laughed and she raised an eyebrow,

'Your boyfriend rang around nine-ish; he was confused as to why you didn't meet him?' I cursed,

'Damnit… I totally forgot…' I muttered, getting up and grabbing the phone to ring him back.

'I wouldn't bother, Rose. He said that they might not be in. He was going out with his roommate, I think' I replaced the phone and dressed instead.

'Where did they say they were going?' I asked, slipping on my favourite black combat jeans

'He didn't say, but what he _did_ say was that they'd be going at midday. And it's…' she paused to look at her watch, 'eleven thirty now… so, you might wanna run down there now' I nodded and did just that, catching the bus and getting off just outside their apartment.

Adrian was just making his way out of the front door.

I ran over and grabbed his arm,

'Oh my god! I am _so_ sorry, Adrian. I was so busy last night, I forgot about our date… can I make it up to you?' I babbled and he laughed,

'Sure, I mean, I stood you up. I suppose you have a right to do the same to me' he said, winking.

'I'm _so_ sorry…' I repeated and he nodded,

'It's fine, don't worry' he smiled comfortingly and kissed my forehead, 'I'm off to the hospital with my roommate, so you wanna come too? We could get some coffee after?'

'Great idea, where's your roommate?'

'He's just coming' Adrian assured and we waited patiently outside the apartment block for his roommate, who I had yet to meet. I'd heard plenty about him, but suddenly I realised that I'd never got his name. Turning to Adrian, I asked for it. Adrian was just about to answer when a figure emerged from the block,

'Rose, this is Dimitri Belikov, my roommate' Adrian smiled and Dimitri turned around, looking at me with the same piercing eyes that sparked my first interest in him.

_It's the gym guy_, it suddenly dawned on me and my eyes widened.

Oh shit.

**A/N: Some reviews would be nice? Especially constructive criticism :)**

**BelikovsRoza1697**

**xxxx**


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